in december, a group of powerful senators, including the chair of the intelligence committee, dianne feinstein, wrote the cia requesting documents and information related to the cia's cooperation with the makers of "zero dark thirty." >> it is based on actual events and firsthand accounts and i took notes. you compile that research and dramatize it. >> reporter: according to him, no movie has been the subject of such scrutiny since the '40s. >> possible communist penetration of the hollywood film industry. >> reporter: we're standing in the shadow of capitol hill and you have dianne feinstein launching this investigation to see how you get your information. >> i think she crosses a line when you start investigating the origins of a motion picture. i worry about the precedent and i think it can chill writers and studios. >> very simply, is he there, yes or no? >> reporter: but there is one central figure who seems unfazed by the film, the man who was the director of the cia when the bin laden raid occurred and is now defense secretary, leon panetta. was it factual in ways? >> i think they did a